In the backlash against SB67/HB154, the bill ramrodded through the Alabama Legislature by Gov. Kay Ivey, much has been said about the horrendous procedural and substantive aspects of the bill, and rightly so. The bill was drafted in secrecy (though State Sen. Andrew Jones naively tipped the governor’s hand on a December 20 episode of “Capitol Journal”) and rushed through the Senate before anyone had time to fully digest it or a substitute bill, making its procedural steps highly questionable.
Moreover, the governor and the bill’s main sponsors, Jones and State Rep. Ed Oliver, keep talking in complete generalities about how the bill would elevate the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs (ADVA) by making its commissioner a cabinet official and mysteriously diversifying the Department’s supervisory State Board of Veterans Affairs (SBVA). (Ironically, Oliver, the originator of the “divisive concepts” bill, is suddenly overly interested in diversity.)
They also conveniently omitted the fact that the bill would emasculate the same Board, making it a meaningless “advisory” body and turning the longstanding apolitical commissioner position into a purely political appointee serving at the governor’s whim. At no time, however, did they give specifics of the problems this bill is designed to solve. As Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth said of the bill, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Missing, however, in bill discussions are revelations about the personal motives of Ivey, Jones and Oliver. First, it seems apparent that Ivey was upset that then-Commissioner of Veterans Affairs Rear Admiral Kent Davis had filed a mandatory ethics complaint against one of Ivey’s political appointees and other cronies at the SBVA’s behest. Then Ivey appeared furious that the SBVA, after hours of public inquiry into her sudden allegations about Davis, disagreed with her, exonerated him, commented on the exceptional job he had done at the ADVA helm, and asked him to complete his term, even though Davis had already agreed to step down to placate Ivey. Invoking something nebulous called “supreme executive power,” Ivey unceremoniously (and likely illegally) canned Davis, indicating her continuing hissy fit toward the SBVA in her State of the State address by saying that she needed an SBVA that is a “team player.” In essence, she seemed to be saying, “I only want yes men and women in state government.”
Of course, Ivey’s staff, as well as Jones and a small group of other legislators have defended Ivey – sometimes hypocritically – denying that her actions constitute “retaliation.” Methinks thou doth protest too much!
However, it seems there may be deeper motivations behind the actions of Ivey, Jones and Oliver that need sunlight thrown upon them. As a former Intelligence officer, I took it upon myself to read news reports and speak with several reliable government sources to get to the bottom of those ulterior motives.
First, Ivey knows she is likely to face serious litigation from Davis for apparently exceeding her legal authority in removing him as commissioner (a power specifically delegated to the SBVA), by retaliating against him in violation of the state ethics laws and defaming him with false allegations of impropriety. (This is, after all, a commissioner who led a department that passed every financial audit for five years with no findings and passed repeated property audits with 100% accountability, yet Ivey vaguely accused him of “mismanaging” funds.) Her legal team is apparently telling Ivey that she may lose that litigation, but the damages can be limited if the legislature passes a bill giving her sole power to hire and fire the commissioner, rendering any claims or damages past that bill’s enactment moot. But if Ivey purported to have the unlimited “supreme executive power” to fire (and ostensibly rehire) any member of the executive branch, why would she need new legislation to give her that complete power?
Second, Jones is apparently unhappy that he was named as a witness to ethical lapses in the aforementioned ethics complaint filed by Davis at the behest of the SBVA, stating his displeasure in an interview. (This guy REALLY needs to stop talking to the press. Every time he does he digs a deeper hole for himself, and he is now a pariah in the veteran community.)
Finally, Oliver has long had nefarious intentions toward ADVA and the SBVA, as outlined in a 2023 article. During the COVID crisis, Oliver made arguably defamatory allegations about the contractor running Alabama’s superb state veterans homes. His baseless claims eventually culminated in an allegation that a nurse at one home had been intentionally murdering residents to cover up malfeasance. His claims were so shocking that the entire panoply of allegations were turned over to the Alabama attorney general’s office, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Alabama Department of Public Health for independent investigations, none of which were able to substantiate any of Oliver’s allegations. The SBVA understandably expressed deep dismay over his apparent falsehoods, tendering concern about his later placement as chair of the House Military and Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
When this history was discussed in the subsequent news article, Oliver told an ADVA official that he would simply find a way to replace the entire SBVA. Learning about this threat, Davis discussed the entire string of events at length and face-to-face with Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter, who discounted the threat and asked the commissioner to contact him if Oliver ever tried to make good on his threat. Well, Mr. Speaker, what say ye now? HB154 basically tries to do exactly as he threatened, and Oliver is the main sponsor of that bill.
Are these petty, selfish motives any way to run a government? We all deserve better.
Troy Carico is both a former infantry enlisted soldier (11B) and infantry officer with branch qualifications including counterintelligence (35E) and military intelligence (35D). He served with distinction in the U.S. Army for more than 22 years, and is highly decorated and service connected disabled. He also has prior service as a civilian intelligence officer for the Defense Intelligence Agency Great Skills Program and has served in numerous clandestine assignments throughout the world.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to Commentary@1819News.com.
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